We are introduced when Ange is Princess of Misurugi, and right from the get-go we see how sheltered she is, when she witnesses a child being ripped away from its mother for being a Norma (a human incapable of using Mana). The mother is furious at her behaviour, about how she tells her to just let her daughter go and that it is the best for the country.
The mother's hatred is immediately projected unto the viewer, who recognizes how ignorant Ange is. She is the typical princess type that cannot do anything by herself.
However, when it turns out that she herself is a Norma, Ange is thrust into the Hell that she previously defended. She now experiences cruel treatment from Jill and the other Normas, as well as the terror of fighting DRAGONs. She is first-hand confronted with death and pain, and comes to slowly realize just what she had been defending and turning a blind eye on in the past.
It is then that we slowly start to warm up to her. Ange goes from a whimpy, helpless princess to a confident, strong woman who is able to hold her own in battle. We see how she realizes that this is now her life, and she decides that she will not simply be killed by a DRAGON, but will fight for her survival and that of her fellow Normas.
That is what I love so much about Ange. She accepts that her past views were wrong, and at the end does everything she can to help the Normas and overthrow the policies in place that treat them as slaves. She goes against her own family because she realizes the horrors that they have allowed to happen.
Concerning the romance plot, I guess it was pretty solid. Without infringing on the actual problems and battles of the show, the love story between Ange and Tusk is slowly build up, and makes for some quite comedic moments. It's good to see how, slowly, Ange starts to let Tusk in and they end up genuinely loving the other to the point where they are ready to sacrifice themselves for the other.
The lesbian romance is, in my person opinion, unnecessary and really just pure fan service. However, it does make a lot of sense, given that Normas are solely women. It would be impossible for them to have a male lover since they are never in contact with any men. So, in a world where they can die any day, it would be normal for them to look for some form of intimacy.
I also quite liked the development of the secondary characters like Hilda (whom I greatly disliked at first) and Jill, and even Momoka, who is a loyal friend to Ange. They all get time to be developed and change, going through their own little story as they follow Ange.
I would recommend the anime to anyone who is looking for a solid plot with kickass characters. There is no shortage of death or even gore, as well as comedy and romance. All these things are balanced in a very good way to the point that no element outshines the other. They are simply part of life.
